After dealing Arsenal a humiliating defeat on the football pitch, it appears Liverpool are also hoping to beat their rivals in the transfer market after reports emerged claiming the club have made an inquiry for Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar.
Lemar, 21, has been a transfer target of Arsenal's for much of the summer. The London club had a reported £45 million (Dh213m) rejected last month, and while they remain interested in the Monaco player, have not followed up with an improved offer.
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However, according to the Daily Telegraph, Liverpool have made contact with Monaco over a club record £55m deal to take Lemar to Anfield.
It is thought that the inquiry for Lemar is not related to the situation involving Philippe Coutinho, who has been the subject of continued interest from Barcelona. The Spanish club have had three offers rejected for the Brazilian playmaker, the latest of which was worth a reported £115m. Liverpool insist Coutinho will not be sold this summer, regardless of the money offered.
Liverpool could be faced with similar levels of resistance from Monaco over their reported pursuit of Lemar. The Ligue 1 champions are unwilling to lose another key player having already sanctioned the sales of Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva to Manchester City, and Tiemoue Bakayoko to Chelsea. Teenage striker Kylian Mbappe also looks set to leave for rivals Paris Saint-Germain.
Lemar scored 12 goals and created 14 assists last season as Monaco won the Ligue 1 title for the first time in 17 years, while playing a key role in the club's run to the Uefa Champions League semi-finals.
